Disinfecting apparatus.



- No. 655,070. Patented July 3l, |900.

w. HQ FRANCIS.

DISINFEGTING APPARATUS.

(Applicationy led Har. 20, 1898.) (No Model.) 5l Sheets-Sheet I.

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w. H. FRANCIS, DIS INFECTING APPARATUS.

(Application led Har. 28, 1898.).

5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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Patented luly 3|, |900." W. H. FRANCIS. DISINFEGTINGAPPARATUS.

(Application filed Mar. 28, 1898.)

5 Sheets-Sheet 3,

(No Model.)

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W. H. FRANCIS.

DISINFECTING APPARATUS.

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No. 655,070. Patented lulyi, |900.

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'PatentedJuly 3|, |900. w. H. FRANCIS, V

DISINFECTING APPARATUS.

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(Application led Mar. 28, 1898,)

Sheets-Sheet 5.

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NITED STATES* PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM n. FRANoIs, oF rHiLADELPHrA, PENNSYLVANIA;

ulslN EECTlNGAQPPARATUs.

srncrrrcAgrroN forming saft of Letteisrtent No. 655,070, dated July si, 1900.

Appiicaion fired umh 2s, 189s.

1b @ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. FRANCIS, a citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,"have invented certain Improvements in Disinfecting Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to constructv a disinfecting apparatus into which the articles to be disinfected'can be readily introduced, from whichtthey'can as readily be removed, and in` which they can be subjectedV to that searching action of the disinfectant which arises' from the preliminary formation of a partial vacuum in the treating vessel, the apparatus being also designed for treating articles to the action of different disinfecting agents or to the action of an agent following v that of the'disinfecting agent and serving to neutralize any objectionable qualities of the latter.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of a disinfecting apparatus constructed in accordancelwith my invention. Fig. 2 is an end view ofthe same looking' in the direction of the arrow 0c. Fig-3 is an end view of the same looking in the direction of the arrow y, and Figs. 4 and 5 are enlarged views of parts of the apparatus.

The treating vessel 1 may be of any suitable size, shape, and dimensions and of any material capable of resisting the destructive effect of the disinfecting o rother agent employed, the vesselfbeing so constructed as to eftectually withstand either the internal/or external pressure to which it is likely to be subjectedin practice.

In the present instance the vessel consists of a cylindrical shell closed at one end by a head 2 and open at the other end, said open end being provided with a surrounding and projecting ring 3,- having a projecting iiange 4, as shown in Fig. 4, the body of the vessel being supported on suitable frames or legs 5 and being provided on the inside with the usual rails or other supports for the drum or cage which contains the articles to be disinfected, the lattery being introduced into and removed from the vessel 1 through the open SerlalNo.675,355. (Nomodel.) v

' cles may be introduced at one end and removed at the other.

` At one side of the end ring 3 of the disinfecting vessel are projecting brackets 6,-in which is mounted so as to swing freely the upright post of a crane 7, which overhangs the ring 3 to the extent of about half its diameter and is provided at the upper end with a depending hook 9, which engages with an eye 10, Msecured to a lug 11, projecting from the face of the cover 12, whereby the open end ofthe disinfecting vessel is closed when the apparatus is in operation, said cover having a projecting annular flange 13, which enters a groove in the face of the ring 3, as shown in Fig. 4, and bears upon a suitable packing ring or rings inserted in said groove. Projecting outwardly from the center of the cover 12 is a bolt 14, threaded at its outer end for the'` reception of a nut 15, which is provided with an annular handle 16, whereby it maybe readily manipulated, this nut bearing against a washer'17, surrounding the bolt 14, and said washer bearing against the outer face ofaI ring 19, which is free to turn around the bolt 14 to an extent limited by the contact of lugs 20 and 21, the lug 2O projectin'g'pinwardly from the ring 19 and the lug 21 projecting outwardly from the cover 12. A coiled spring 22, surrounding the bolt 14 and interposed between the cover` 12 and a recessed portion of the ring 19, serves to press the latter constantly outward and maintain it in contact with the washer 17 and the latter in contact with the nut 15. In the ring 19 is `formed an annular groove, into which pr'ojectthe inner ends of a series of leverbolts 23, each of which is hung to the ring 19 by means of a pin 24 and passes between a projecting annular rib 25 on the cover 12 and a ring 26, which is secured to said rib by means of shouldered bolts 27, provided with suitable nuts, the shouldered portions of the bolts maintaining the ring 26. at the proper distance from the rib 25 and also flanking the 1ever-bolts23, so that at the rib 2 5 said bolts are held in their proper position both longitu- Ico . ring or rings therein contained. When lthe Ass nut is backed oi, however, so as to loosenl thebearing of the lever-bolts against the rib 25 on the coverandtherib 29 of the ring`3,V the ring 19, to which said'lever-bolts are hung, can be turned by means ofa'suitable handle 30, so las to cause the lever-bolts to assume such an anglel that their Vouter ends will be withdrawn from behind the rib 29, (see dottedline position of one of the levers inv Fig. 3,) andthe cover 12 can then be swung outward bymeans of its crane 7, so as to expose the open end of the treating vessel, the closing ofy this end ofthe vessel beingeffected by a reversal of theoperation. f ByA this means the opening and closing of the vessel can be effected in a very short time, as the cover can be quickly swung rinto and out of position by meansof its crane, and when in place at the end of the treating vessel can be either secured 4or released by a partial turn of the ring 19.and afew turns of the nut 15.

'In brackets 3l on one side of the vessel 1 is mounted a casing 32, which contains two retorts 33 and 34, as shown in Fig. 5, each o f theseretorts being furnished with `a valved inlet-pipe 35', a valvllllzpiwa valved pressure-gageV pipe '7, a drain-coc- 38, and a heating-coil A39 the heatingcoils having valved supplypipes 4 0 and 4l,and valved drainage-pipes 42 and 43. The inlet-pipe of each retort is surmounted by a vessel 44, intended for the reception of the liquid disinfectant or other agent employed, and the valved discharge-pipe of `eachjretort commui- Y nica-tes -withthe upper portion-ofthe disint fecting vessel 1,'which also has a valved dis-A chargejpipe45, provided with a vacu mgage 46fan yc nicating with an ejectorr47ofany appropriate character, said ejectorbeing supplied withsteam through the valved pipe 48*- and discharging into the take-off pipe 49.

y The operation ofthe apparatus -is as followsz-The articles to be treatcd'a're introduced into thevessel 1 and the cover of the same is `swung int-o place and secured -by means ofthe lever-bolts, so as to hermetically close said vessel. Steam is vthen admitted to the ejector 47, so as to create apartial `jvacuum within 'the vessel, and when this-rhasbeen done the valve in the pipe 45 is closed, so-as to maintain said partial vacuum. Meantime disinfecting liquid has been admitted to eitheror both of the retorts 33 and 34and has been vaporized therein bymeans of the heating-coils, so as togenerateany desired-degree of pressure in either retort, the valves finmthe 4discharge-pipes 36 ofV the retort of course being closed. The vapor from either retort is then lpermittedto enter the' Y vessel 1, and owing to the partial vacuum previously formed therein it will penetrate immediately into all parts of the articles contained in the vessel, the supply of vapor continuing until a pressure of any desired degree is exerted within the disinfecting vessel, which pressure may be continued for a length of time dependent upon the class of work to be performed. As a consequence the effective action of the disinfectant upon Vall portions 4of the articles contained in the disinfecting vessel will be insured and sub- `stantiallycomplete"disinfection thereby attained.

If it is desired toxfollowzthe actionA 5f-one disinfectant by-thato'f anotherorbythe ac# tion of a-neutralizing agent', the iiofw ofthe first disinfectant from its retort 'ma`y-'^be cut oma partial vacuum'again 'produced-inthe vessel 1 by means ofthe ejectorjand aow of the other disinfectant orof the`nutralizing agent into the disinfecting vessel thenl permitted. This isV sometimes advisablewhen the modernA disinfectant consisting of isolution of formaldehyde-and knownas forms aline is used,the formaline 'treatment `be= ing followed :by a t-reatmentwith ammoniavapor-derivedv from the second-retort.

The discharge-pipe36 oftheretort 33 "has a invention a `vacuum-p'roducing apparatus of any desired Vcharacter maybe 'employed' in place of the-steam-ej ectorwh'ich` I'ha'veshown and describedythe Vlatter,'heingused mainly because of its convenience and simplicity.

Y Having thus :described myV invention, :I claim and desire to secure byllet'tersiliatent- -Y 11A disinfecting apparatus 'in which fare combined a `.treating nvessel provided with IOO means for tightly closing the isameard" also with 'an escape-pipe,Y provision for kexhausting air or-vapor-fro'm'the treating vessel'and'discharging it through vthe escape-,pipeya'retort provided with means for 'vaporizing'a disinfectingagent therein and also with a safetyvalve, and communication betweenthedischarge-pipe of said `safety-valve and theescape-pipeiofthe vacuum apparatus, substantially"asspeciii'ed.v v 2.` Theconrbination in disinfect'ingap'paratusyof the treating vessel having a flange with inwardly-projecting continuous rib, a cover carrying a series of lever-bolts having a fulcruIn bearing on said cover and adapted to engage with the rib of the treating vessel, a bolt having a nut for acting upon t-he inner ends of the levers to tighten the same, and a ring movable around said bolt and connected to the inner ends of the lever-bolts, and stops arranged to limit the movement of the ring substantially as speciied.

3. The combination in disinfecting apparatus, of a treating vessel having a fiange with internally-projecting rib, a cover-plate for elosin g said vessel, a series of lever-bolts each bearing against afulcrumlug'on said coverplate and adapted to engage with the rib on the treating vessel, a bolt having a nut for acting upon the inner ends of the lever-bolts WILLIAM II. FRANCIS.

"Witnesses:

FRANK E. BEoHToLD, Jos. H. KLEIN. 

